Published: Sunday, April 15, 2012 at 6:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, April 15, 2012 at 2:06 a.m.

Ten bands rocked the courthouse steps for the third-ever Houmapalooza music festival, which was held in downtown Houma Saturday.

Music styles from zydeco to funk to punk played for an audience that lounged on park benches and blankets, enjoying temperatures in the low 80s.

“I just come to support Houma, to support local musicians and to support the Arts Council,” said Jamie Verdin, who brought along his 4-year-old son, Blaze. “It’s a great event to bring family to. It’s a beautiful day, and it’s in front of the courthouse, so it feels pretty safe. There should be more events like this in Houma.”

The semi-annual music festival was started last year by the Houma Regional Arts Council. Glenda Toups, the council’s executive director, called the festival “a fast-growing beast.”

She said her staff of three came up with the idea in January 2011, and put on the inaugural event that April.

“We developed it to be a little different from other festivals that hire bands,” she said. “We sat down and asked what is being offered and saw that there is nothing devoted to independent local acts and unsigned bands. The question is, ‘Would people show up?’ And the answer has been, ‘Yes.’ ”

Toups said 154 musicians have played the event. This year, 22 bands from Houma-Thibodaux, Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Lake Charles vied for one of the 10 spots available. They were judged by a local “listening panel,” and required to provide at least an hour of original material.

“There are a lot of different venues that already showcase cover bands,” Toups said. “It’s hard sometimes for an original band to find a venue, because they’re not going to play ‘Brown Eyed Girl,’ or something everyone will know.”

At 2:30 p.m., Syllable Seven was preparing to go on stage. The five-piece band from Baton Rouge plays funk, reggae, punk and hip-hop, “a gumbo that includes everything musically except country and pop,” according to Bobby Fields, the lead singer. Many of the band’s members have played at Houma venues before, and they said they weren’t surprised by the quality of the music scene here.

Fields said a friend of his had praised gigs he’d played at the City Club, just down the block and across the street.

“I just hadn’t been here yet, but I knew music was part of the culture in Houma,” he said.

Staff Writer Cara Bayles can be reached at 857-2204 or at cara.bayles@houmatoday.com.

<p>Ten bands rocked the courthouse steps for the third-ever Houmapalooza music festival, which was held in downtown Houma Saturday.</p><p>Music styles from zydeco to funk to punk played for an audience that lounged on park benches and blankets, enjoying temperatures in the low 80s.</p><p>“I just come to support Houma, to support local musicians and to support the Arts Council,” said Jamie Verdin, who brought along his 4-year-old son, Blaze. “It's a great event to bring family to. It's a beautiful day, and it's in front of the courthouse, so it feels pretty safe. There should be more events like this in Houma.”</p><p>The semi-annual music festival was started last year by the Houma Regional Arts Council. Glenda Toups, the council's executive director, called the festival “a fast-growing beast.” </p><p>She said her staff of three came up with the idea in January 2011, and put on the inaugural event that April.</p><p>“We developed it to be a little different from other festivals that hire bands,” she said. “We sat down and asked what is being offered and saw that there is nothing devoted to independent local acts and unsigned bands. The question is, 'Would people show up?' And the answer has been, 'Yes.' ”</p><p>Toups said 154 musicians have played the event. This year, 22 bands from Houma-Thibodaux, Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Lake Charles vied for one of the 10 spots available. They were judged by a local “listening panel,” and required to provide at least an hour of original material.</p><p>“There are a lot of different venues that already showcase cover bands,” Toups said. “It's hard sometimes for an original band to find a venue, because they're not going to play 'Brown Eyed Girl,' or something everyone will know.”</p><p>At 2:30 p.m., Syllable Seven was preparing to go on stage. The five-piece band from Baton Rouge plays funk, reggae, punk and hip-hop, “a gumbo that includes everything musically except country and pop,” according to Bobby Fields, the lead singer. Many of the band's members have played at Houma venues before, and they said they weren't surprised by the quality of the music scene here. </p><p>Fields said a friend of his had praised gigs he'd played at the City Club, just down the block and across the street.</p><p>“I just hadn't been here yet, but I knew music was part of the culture in Houma,” he said.</p><p>Staff Writer Cara Bayles can be reached at 857-2204 or at cara.bayles@houmatoday.com.</p>